Margaret E. & Henry R. Roberts Center for Leadership

Global Online Academy: Students learn from thousands of miles away as they study online courses like Bioethics, Game Theory, Medical Problem Solving, or Japanese. They gain new perspectives, greater responsibility, confidence, and analytical skills in our increasingly interrelated world. Kingswood Oxford is a member of GOA, a consortium of independent schools worldwide. Through an expansive offering of online courses, students can learn from faculty at one of the 65-member institutions.

Team Tobati: Team Tobatí is an all-volunteer 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of disadvantaged youth in Tobatí, Paraguay, while at the same time offering high school students from the United States the powerful experience of working directly for a greater good in the developing world.  With the active support of Tobatí community leaders and organizations, the Team constructs classrooms and schools, funds important social programs, and supports medical services and initiatives.  Each March, 100+ high school volunteers from Kingswood Oxford school spend two weeks in Tobatí working extensively on dozens of projects, strengthening the medical and education infrastructure offered to the region’s poor.

Model UN: Participating in Model U.N. provides students with a forum to apply the academic content and skills they have learned in the classroom, hone their public speaking and debate skills, meet other intellectually motivated students from around the world, and learn from world-renowned experts.

Model UN: Participating in Model U.N. provides students with a forum to apply the academic content and skills they have learned in the classroom, hone their public speaking and debate skills, meet other intellectually motivated students from around the world, and learn from world-renowned experts.

KOMUN: KOMUN is Kingswood Oxford’s Model UN for Middle Schools. This regional event introduces students in grades 6, 7, and 8 to global problems and challenges them to work collaboratively to solve them. Model UN allows students to hone their public speaking and debate skills while they use their expertise to build coalitions and pass resolutions. Since its founding in 2013 by KO History teacher Stacey Savin, 800 students from over 20 schools across the state have attended this unique conference.

Forensic Union: Kingswood Oxford’s debate and public speaking team is popular with students. Each year approximately 70 students attend weekly meetings and prepare to compete in local, national, and international debates — including the World Debate Championships. Just this past year, two students made it to Worlds. Very impressive! A member of the Debating Association of New England Independent Schools, Kingswood Oxford competes in 14 debates or tournaments annually and hosts its own each February.

Mock Trial: Students learn trial law firsthand by participating in a hypothetical case (as jurists, witnesses, and more) and competing against other Mock Trial teams in the state. Kingswood Oxford works in partnership with Civics First, which promotes law-related education throughout Connecticut.

SGA: A student-run organization, consisting of elected representatives from each form, that plan community-building events and address issues facing the student body. 

Shield and Dragon: The mission of Shield & Dragon is to serve as student ambassadors on behalf of Kingswood Oxford School to welcome and acclimate prospective families, current families, alumni, and other guests to our community. Our goal is to provide a thorough glance at what makes Kingswood Oxford unique. The tour experience is meant to offer a peek into the School’s program and the array of offerings and to share our authentic “stories” with our guests. We strive to establish a connection with each prospective student so that they can better picture themselves at KO and all the opportunities that await them here.

Lunch and Lead: This is a student-run speaker series. Students on the committee organize and plan events for leaders from various fields to share their experiences, including successes and failures, over lunch with KO students. The events provide informal opportunities for students to learn about leadership and different careers from leaders in various fields.

Leadership Executive Committee: The Roberts’ Center for Leadership empowers future leaders to create change by cultivating a deep sense of social responsibility and integrity. The executive committee is a group of student leaders that plan events and participate in workshops focusing on collaboration, civil discourse, effective communication, and problem-solving. 

Power of Women: KO Power of Women is a club for female-identifying KO students from Upper Prep to Form 6, moms, and alumni. We work to connect women in the KO community with students to develop an authentic and engaging dialogue around the issues of women’s leadership and empowerment. Now in its third year, we are planning at least two forums for the 2020-21 school year.
 

VQV: Students come to know themselves in this weekly seminar named for our school motto: Vincit Qui Se Vincit (VQV), or “One Conquers By Conquering Oneself.” They learn about themselves and develop the capacity to reflect on their ideas, choices, and actions, ultimately identifying their leadership styles.

Investment Club: The goal of this club is to teach and expose members to the stock market. Through monitoring our stock portfolio and giving suggestions on trades and new purchases, members will be exposed to the nuances of trading and maintaining a diversified portfolio.

Peer Tutors: (Math, Writing, Public Speaking): Peer tutors are trained to provide subject-specific tutoring and help.

Wyverns helping Wyverns: Wyverns Helping Wyverns (WHW) is an after-school tutoring program where upper school students (Forms 4-6) provide subject-specific tutoring and help middle school students learn valuable organization and study skills by working with them on their homework. By modeling their habits and approaches, suggesting study and organizational strategies, and checking over students’ assignments and completed work, the tutors help students build their repertoire of effective learning habits. 

Baird Symposium: Founded in 1983 by Warren Baird (then chair of the English department), the Baird English Symposium has welcomed some of the nation’s greatest writers, poets, and playwrights, including Arthur Miller, John Updike, Jane Smiley, William Styron, Tony Kushner, Joyce Carol Oates, Edward Albee, and others. Each spring, the selected author visits campus for a reading and various student-centered events. To prepare, students in all grade levels read at least one work by the visiting writer. Students in a Senior Seminar class study the author’s work exclusively. Before the Symposium, they visit all other English classes and teach students about the author’s life and work.

Martin-Nicholson Scholars: Named in honor of Oxford School founder Mary Martin and Kingswood School founder George Nicholson, the Martin-Nicholson Merit Scholarship supports intellectual and motivated students who embody the core principles of Kingswood Oxford. The Advisory Committee selects approximately 15 students per year. Award amounts are $4,500 annually and are renewable each year, provided the recipient remains in good academic and disciplinary standing. Scholars receive an additional $1,000 stipend (following their Form 3-Form 5 years) for summer educational enrichment activities.

Team Tobati: Team Tobatí is an all-volunteer 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of disadvantaged youth in Tobatí, Paraguay while at the same time offering high school students from the United States the powerful experience of working directly for a greater good in the developing world.  With the active support of Tobatí community leaders and organizations, the Team constructs classrooms and schools, funds important social programs, and supports medical services and initiatives.  Each March, 100+ high school volunteers from Kingswood Oxford school spend two weeks in Tobatí working extensively on dozens of projects, strengthening the medical and education infrastructure offered to the region’s poor.

Other Service Learning: KO does outreach with the MD Fox School in Hartford. There are also several community service groups that the students engage in such as Thirst Project among others.